Acknowledged
by peers, the women he dressed, and the press as “the
most Parisian of fashion designers”, Robert Piguet,
while programmed to be a financier, was, in fact, destined
to become one of the legendary figures of haute couture.
Robert Piguet was born in Switzerland. At 17, in the face
of heavy opposition from family, he left Yverdon for Paris
where he found employment first with Redfern and later with
Paul Poiret, his lifelong friend and quite possibly, the most
influential designer in the history of haute couture.
In 1933, having completed his training at two of the most
important fashion houses of the Twentieth century, Piguet
opened his own house in the Rue de Cirque. There he became
known for the delicacy and reserve of his morning and afternoon
dresses, a certain flamboyance of color in clothes for evening
and for the perfect cut of his thin grey flannel suits… every
collection a reflection of his infallible eye, refined simplicity
and the quality that most defined Piguet: elegance. In style.
In character. In inspiration.
Charming and aristocratic, a connoisseur of literature, painting
and the decorative arts, by 1938, Piguet’s success and
reputation were such that he was presiding over his new and
beautiful salon – almost operatic in its opulence –
at the Rond Point des Champs Elysee.
Among the most prestigious of addresses, the House became
destination for the elite of all Paris…the great beauties
of fashion and the distinguished luminaries drawn from the
worlds of theatre and the arts. In fact, upon Piguet’s
death, Jean Cocteau, a dear and trusted friend, as was Colette
and the great director, Jean Marais, wrote of Piguet “he
loved, he invented, he gave…a generous and vibrant member
of our team.”
It was during the years at Rond Point that perhaps the most
enduring aspect of Piguet’s legacy took shape. It has
been said that Robert Piguet made two indelible and ever-lasting
contributions to fashion. Notably, the designers he employed
and encouraged; haute couturiers whose creativity, inspiration
and passion have influenced, dramatically, the worlds of fashion,
film, art, beauty and the way women today look, dress and
view themselves. Pierre Balmain, Marc Bohan and Hubert de
Givenchy all trained at the hands of this master as did Christian
Dior who said “Robert Piguet  taught
me the virtues of simplicity through which true elegance must
come.” Another who benefited from his three-month internship
at the House of Piguet was James Galanos, arguably one of
only four American designers to be considered haute couture.
While very significant contributions were made by these talents,
all of who went on to open their own Houses to extraordinary
success, Piguet succeeded in maintaining his own identity
of House and Collections
And, then, of course, there are the fragrances, a contribution
of unrivalled magnitude. It has been observed that Piguet’s
perfumes – Bandit, Fracas and Baghari, “have a
particular feel, very characteristic of his trademarks: strict
adherence to good taste, true luxury, a horror of the commonplace
and an innate sense of seduction” True classics of timeless
beauty and value that endure far beyond season and trend.
And so, although Robert Piguet closed his House in 1951 and
died in 1953, all that he accomplished and lived for lives
on in women who see and understand his enormous influence
on contemporary fashion and its creators, and who surround
themselves with the aura of Piguet’s elegance and taste
through the perfumes they wear and cherish as a personal signature
of style.
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